“I’m hardwired to cling… sometimes I held more tightly to things I had than the faith I had.”

“Mothering is a hard habit to break.”

“I was sad because they didn’t seem quite as sad as I was.”

"The Comfort Zone was never meant to be my permanent place; it was meant to be my charging station."

“My best day is someone else’s worst day.”

Dana Knox Wright's HOLDING ON LOOSELY wins for best quotables; I filled a page with them! From the author's childhood adoration of Donny Osmond to her mother turning to tend a garden (when she couldn't 'mother' any more) to the realization that the only reason you're invited to dinner with your young adult kids may be to pick up the tab, I found myself nodding in agreement from page one.

Those of us who've seen a few decades come and go and have raised a few kids will relate to all the observations and stories of parenting, but there are plenty of other chapters and stories to love -- and every single one of them will force some introspection and reflection.

Wright opens herself almost completely to readers -- but not completely -- and I think that's good. It's not a tell-all, but it's a tell-a-whole-lot that is real and relatable. I listened to the audio book, and the author does an amazing job with nary a glitch or hiccup. Pacing was great, and it felt intimate hearing her tell her own stories. I enjoyed that I could just listen to a chapter and let it sink in before continuing. I plan on buying HOLDING ON LOOSELY in print so I can tab my favorite chapters (Edith and her flamingoes & old people kissing, to name two), and then buying a couple more for gifting. My guess is that most who read it will feel it's timely and eerily similar to parts of their own lives.

Highly recommend.

Holding On Loosely by Dana Knox Wright is one of those books that can hit you just right when you are ready for it. It was a lovely read that took me through a roller coaster of emotions along with the author. There were definitely parts that made me chuckle and others that made me tear up. I was able to truly appreciate what it means to let go of something as I read this book.

Perhaps this book hit differently because I lost my sister earlier this year. Ever since it happened, I notice that I see things very differently. I found that this book was able to match me in the emotion department. Although I am not a big reader of anything referencing God, I was able to appreciate the reader's point of view.

It's hard for me to say what I would have gotten from this book if I was not in the place in my life that I am in now. I believe anyone can gather something from learning to let go. We all have things and people we need to (or should) let go of. I believe that this author is able to express that to her reader in the best way possible - by her expressive and captivating writing.

We all do it – we hold on to something or someone just a little too tightly. While I have tried to live my life “loosely” holding on, I have not always been successful. While I was never a helicopter parent (ok my kiddos – you know it’s true!) and I am not a collector of things (except a few very special things) I do tend to mentally hold on to things.

This author takes you slowly through the logic, or lack thereof, of holding on and the advantages of loosing your grip. Maybe its because this reviewer has also seen 50 pass by but I could identify with the author’s point of view and manner in which she is releasing things in order to live a fuller life.

One of the sections that I found myself nodding along and agreeing with was the one on the convenience and advantages of our virtual world. Ms. Wright makes a lot of observations that I have also seen. No longer do people take the time to make eye contact and initiate a conversation. Now most people, when they have a moment where they have to wait, immediately pull out their phone and start scrolling. Are we losing the ability to communicate and engage? She calls it “blind to each other” and makes some very valid points about our ability to empathize being in jeopardy.

With personal anecdotes, this author provides a plethora of reflections and considerations. My very favorite section was The Parable of Vinegar. The author compares the clear liquid to water – until you taste or smell it. Looking deeper, seeing more in not just liquid but in your choices in life and your dealings with friends and acquaintances can impact your world of so many layers.

This is such an enjoyable book on so many levels. It’s a mix of testimony as one knows that term in Christian religious denominations, memoir, and inspirational self-help. In the pages of this book, the author opens her heart and her soul and shares her journey from clinging to so many things in life to relaxing and Holding on Loosely. She honestly writes about her struggles to overcome the need to hold on and offers advice on how the reader can do the same thing, using humor and a conversational-style of writing that invites the reader in.

Each chapter is filled with tidbits of wisdom, and I finally had to stop highlighting after a while so I could just read and absorb the messages. One that struck me in particular is, “You and I have the power to lay waste to a person’s dignity when we judge them.” Oh how true that is, and if only more people kept that in mind when being quick to criticize. Like the author, it did take me sometime to realize how hurtful my criticisms could be.

Another section I highlighted is, “It is Life-Giving to cling to goodness. When it seems the whole world is forgetting about goodness, someone has to remember it.” This is in the chapter, The Sky Isn’t Falling: Turning Loose of Doomsday, where the author writes about her struggle to not be a “Debbie Downer” or “A Negative Nancy.” She shares a story about her friend, John, who publishes a newspaper in the Hill Country of Texas with only good news. Stories about dog parades, boat races, charity fish fries, concerts, art shows, and more uplifting community news. Nothing else.

What a great idea, and the world could be a better place if we ditched the negative news and only looked at things that make us smile.

This is a book that I highly recommend, especially to people in middle age, because I think that’s the time that many of us are looking at our lives and trying to figure out how we can be better people. The author offers so much information, so much inspiration, and it’s done without preaching or judging or making the reader squirm too much. When I recognized myself in her journey I did squirm just a little. 🙂 But it was my reaction that had me wriggling, not her writing. All of the insights and advice is presented in such a kind, loving, non-judgmental way, and that makes this an enjoyable read indeed.

Dana Knox Wright shares her stories of growth as a woman who has lived in this world for six decades. The stories are fresh and most importantly they are real.

The realness genuinely comes out because Wright narrates her own book, Holding On Loosely. And I must say that I love, love she narrated her own book. Her own narration added in-depth authentication to her stories. Wright speaks clearly and precisely. I cannot recommend a listening speed because I directly listened to each chapter file on my computer. I can state that the audiobook portion went rather quickly. Wright’s voice is strong, yet soft, and enjoyable.

Wright’s overall theme in her stories is about how she learned the lessons of letting go and seeing life in completely different ways. The rhythm of all her stories is learning the lesson of letting go. Letting go is good for your soul, especially your life expectations.

Many of the stories were like Wright and I were sharing those stories at the same time. Her airplane story is so relatable. Many of her other stories are so highly relatable. Yes – it is so true on checkpoints. I simply did not know I had perfected the Texan superpower of sauntering.

The Pizza story was my favorite. Chapter 23 was the best in this book for me. I myself will be searching for the cows on any porch. Wright shares her stories so others can learn from them and be inspired by her well-crafted words.

The main premise of Wright’s words and voice is to get out of your comfort zone. Don’t let gravity take over your lives. Age is just a number that does not define us as we age. Life can give us magical moments. Pay attention to them and appreciate them. Thanks, Dana for sharing your stories. I’m off to lookup Al Schwimmer.

Holding On Loosely is a book that everyone can relate to. Audiobook it or read it. I highly recommend it.